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Tinkling tones & Christmas carp

December 26th, 2003 · No Comments

While I was creating and wrapping gifts these past few days, I heard some intriguing sounds on the radio news…I enjoyed this NPR report about the celesta a musical instrument which Tchaikovsky used for the sound of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Christmas Eve at 1 am or so, I heard a story on the BBC – couldn’t find an internet link though – about a musician in Iceland who makes his instruments from ice. He described how they conform to you, melting as you make music, becoming individualized: no one else can use them.

Christmas morning I heard this NPR piece about Christmas Carp a Czech tradition Instead of wearing a red Santa suit, Czechoslovakian holiday jobs include fishing and selling carp on the street, big rubber boots and all. The part of the story that appealed to me the most was keeping the carp alive at home in the bathtub until Christmas Day. As a child, I always wanted a pet in the tub, a walrus or otter. This Czech tradition sounds like that fantasy come alive, like a Christmas wish received from Santa, although I’m not so sure how happy I would have been eating my pet for dinner!

Tags: christmas